In early spring, lawns and planting beds are often wet from snow melt and spring thaw. After a particularly wet winter, you may be wondering what to do with a waterlogged lawn that now seems more like a swamp than the green expanse of turf it’s supposed to be. Here are some ideas for managing your water logged lawn to return it to health and prepare it for future wet winters.

MINIMIZE TRAFFIC

If you have an overly wet lawn, don’t make it worse. Tromping around on wet soil will only compact it more and make the situation more difficult to remedy. Minimize foot traffic and, especially, vehicles or landscaping equipment until things dry out again. Soils with high clay content are more likely to become wet, dense and heavy than sandy, loamy soils.

AERATE AND AMEND

The more air space soil has, the higher its water carrying capacity will be. Aerated soils can hold more water, and water will move through them more readily without the soil becoming compacted. An aerator takes narrow plugs of dirt out of your lawn, allowing water, nutrients and air to move deeper into the soil. Rent an aerator every two or three years. It will only take a couple of hours work, depending upon the size of your lawn, and will be time well spent.

Soil amendments will also improve aeration and the water holding capacity of your lawn. A good quality screened compost or topsoil can be used as a thin topdressing for your lawn on an annual basis. This is a slower route to improved soil quality, but it works well in conjunction with aerating.

ADD DRAINAGE

It is rare that a lawn actually needs an underground drainage system, but there are situations where it is the best solution. Before you take that step, assess how much water is flowing onto your lawn. Are there downspouts from the roof or other sources of water that could be directed away from the lawn? If you have a large paved patio or drive that flows onto your grassy lawn, an underground perforated drain pipe along the edge of the pavement can be installed to take water away.

REGRADE YOUR LAWN

Take a close look at the surface of your lawn or bring in a landscaping professional that can help you evaluate surface drainage. If several different areas drain onto your yard and there is little opportunity for water to flow off, it can make your lawn much wetter than it needs to be. Depending on your situation, a regrading project can be very simple or rather complex. It’s the type of work best done by a landscaping company.

Not every winter has weather that results in wet, soggy lawns in the spring. When it does happen, it takes some of the fun out of spring and warmer weather. If you are worried about the condition of your wet yard, consider some of the options above and talk to us about the best approach to fix your soggy, wet lawn.